- The reforms require advertising of fares that include hand luggage.
- Over 50 percent of passengers choose lower fares without it.
- Ryanair called the rules bureaucratic bunkum.
- The airline highlighted failures to reform air traffic control.
- Costs from the changes will pass to passengers.
Ryanair has criticised the latest EU261 passenger rights reforms after the provisional agreement on updated rules. Ryanair stated that the changes force airlines to advertise higher fares that include a second cabin bag when more than 50 percent of passengers choose lower fares without it. The carrier described the measures as bureaucratic and damaging to competitiveness.
Chief executive Michael O’Leary highlighted the failure to address air traffic control issues and the ETS taxation system. He called for the abolition of the ETS tax on intra-EU flights and proper staffing of air traffic control. Ryanair argued that the reforms add costs that passengers ultimately bear.
The airline maintained its position that the changes do not improve the passenger experience or European competitiveness.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary shared: “These latest EU261 regs are more bureaucratic bunkum from the EU Parliament and Council. Instead of encouraging EU airlines to advertise our lowest fares (which exclude 2nd cabin bags), which is what over 50% of our customers choose, these new rubbish regulations require airlines to falsely advertise higher air fares, making EU airlines even less competitive.
As usual, neither the EU Parliament, nor the Council, have done anything to improve the competitiveness of EU airlines by abolishing Europe’s failed harmful ETS taxation or reforming the EU’s broken ATC system. Europe’s ATC system accounts for over 90% of airline delays, yet the airlines are not allowed to recover our EU261 costs from these failing Govt monopolies.
At a time when Putin invaded Ukraine, and there is a war in the Middle East, Europe needs to be more competitive if it is to deliver growth. At this time of international crisis, all the EU Parliament and Council can do is invent new regulations, which will now force airlines to advertise higher air fares (which include 2nd cabin bag fees) instead of advertising our lowest air fares (which exclude 2nd cabin bag fees) which is what more than 50% of Ryanair passengers choose on a daily basis. When Europe needs economic growth to improve its defence spending, the best our leaders can manage is new regulations about airline cabin bags, which deny airlines the right to advertise our lowest available air fares.
Ryanair again calls on Ursula von der Leyen, and the EU Parliament, to stop making rubbish regulations which makes EU air travel less competitive, and instead do something competitive for European consumers by abolishing Europe’s discriminatory ETS tax (which only applies to intra-EU flights) and finally deliver effective ATC reform by requiring that ATC’s are fully staffed for first wave of morning flights, and protecting EU over flights during national ATC strikes.”
